Class Letter

Dear Int Comm-ers,

Eight weeks is a funny amount of time.  At times, the summer seemed to drag on, especially around hour 3.5 of 4.  But looking back, eight weeks is so short.  I hate the saying, but time flew this term! 

You all were up to the challenge though, and I think it really paid off in the end.  The daily homework, the multiple drafts of our essays, and the in-class and out of class work with Nancy helped you reach the potential I could see in each of you our first day.  I'm so pleased with how much more conscious you are of how to compose sentences now.  The attention I see you put towards choosing the best word for your thought, the right form of a verb so it matches your subject...these are things that many of you didn't even consider in the beginning.  Even though it is painful to write this way (because of how much more attention you have to give each thought), you are all taking that first all important step to becoming college writers and lifelong thinkers! 

As much work as we put into writing this summer, I can see the dividends paying off in reading too.  When you become more aware of writing styles, you become more critical readers.  Always annotate and ask yourself "why?" when reading.  Again, I know it slows the process and is somewhat painful to do, but know that good things come with patience and perserverance. 

You all did so well this summer.  I hope you take a few weeks to enjoy your success and build off of it.  Keep reading!  Write daily!  Think about anything that interests you!  Make it a habit to read or write (or both) on the CTA.  You'll be amazed at how much you can get done during your commute :).  In the fall, you'll be primed for Int Comm 100, and you'll go in knowing that you are reading for the beginning review that most 100 classes start off with. 

Normally, this is the time when I'd invite you all to stop in my office or email me the following semester to let me know how you are doing.  However, this summer, you know I am moving to Maryland, and I will probably also lose my CCC email address.  Know that I wish you all the BEST OF LUCK! 

Best,
Lynn

THursday's class schedule

On Thursday, I will be in my office from 8:00 (ish)-1:00 (at least!...I may be there later if appeals warrant, but do not rely on me staying later).  You will need to stop by my office (room 632) at some point to pick up your final paper, any old work, AND the form you will need to register.  At that time, I will also give you your actual final grade. 

It may not seem all that important to you to come to class on Thursday, but if you want your paper back, you must come.  If, however, all you are concerned with is the form for registration, I can leave that in my mailbox and you may pick it up at anytime before you wish to register. 

Turning in the final essay

INTRODUCTION:  Underline the hook, draw a line beside the background information and highlight the thesis (you may have to borrow a friend's highlighter)

BODY #1: Circle the subject from each sentence, then make sure that the verb agrees with it

BODY #2: Underline the topic sentence, then make sure that everything else in the paragraph serves to explain and develop that sentence

CONCLUSION: Review the verb tense in this paragraph, then make sure that all major points are included in BLOCK order

To prep for the Exit Essay

Monday, July 26 is the exit essay.  We will take a few minutes to review Monday morning, but by that time, you should be ready to roll and write the best essay of the summer.

This weekend:  Consider reviewing old essays and typing the current essay up to examine strenghts and weaknesses.  Then you'll know what to focus on for Monday. 

Now: Read the sample exit topics and draft practice responses.  Make sure that they follow the assigned topic. 

What is one of your hobbies?  Explain two of the most important apects of your favorite hobby. 

• Thesis: My favorite hobby is running on the lakefront path.
• paragraph #1: It is important to have good running shoes
• paragraph #2: It is important to know your limitations so you don't run too far or get injured. 

Now it is your turn...below are several sample exit questions.  Prewrite and then come up with the thesis and at least two body paragraphs.  You can even write out the whole essay from there!  If you have questions, feel free to email me the exit question, thesis and body topics.  I'll be as quick as possible in response (Fair warning:  I'll be in Ohio this weekend, and the Internet access is awful dial-up at my sister's, but I really will try to be as speedy as possible). 

1. Many people think that summer classes are too difficult.  Provide two reasons that explain why you chose to take a summer English class. 
2. Cubs and Sox rivalries are serious business.  Compare and contrast the Cubs to the Sox in order to come to a conclusion about which team is better.
3. Vegitariansism is a way of life for many.  What do you think about this lifestyle choice?  Provide two reasons to explain your opinion. 
4. WHat is one of your major educational goals?  Explain how you will reach it. 

**You've all worked for the past 7 weeks to write this exit essay.  Relax, breath and trust the work you've put in already.  On Monday, remember to think about what the question is asking of you, plan your response, and then start writing.  You'll have 110 minutes to complete the essay, so you'll have more than enough time to revise and edit**

Andy and the Xoi

Hmmm. Isn't this just what we worked on?

Worrisome words spell check won't catch

Classficiation Sample

     Every friend has different classfications.  There are good friends, nice friends, phony friends, and mean friends.  A good friends in someone who you can tell everything, and she won't judge you.  A nice friend is a friend who would give you her last.  Phony friends are the ones your mother warned you about, the ones who smile in your face and talk about you behind your back.  Mean friends are the ones who always have something to say about what you do and are very judgmental. 

1.  What is the basis for classficiation?  What are the types (or classes) of friends?
2.  What is the topic sentence of the paragraph? 
3.  What is the point or conclusion the writer wants the reader to come to? 

Highland Games

Activity for Monday, July 19

Oracle

The Matrix

Contrast Paragraph

Here's a great example of a contrast paragraph from class on Thursday:

     Jerry and Maury are both famous talk show hosts, but they have some differences.  Here are some.  Jerry Springer is a talk show host who comes on channel 50, and Maury's comes on channel 19.  Their shows come on at separate times.  Jerry comes on at 11 am to 12 pm, and Maury is from 12 am to 1 am.  Jerry Springer's show consists of drama while Maury's show is about mothers finding their baby's father.  Maury's show has been running for ten years, and Jerry's show has been on for 15 years.

1.  What could be cut?  What could be added?  Why?
2.  Is this block or point-by-point?
3.  Is everything in the best order?  What would you change if you could?

Development Modes

We've covered several modes of development this summer.  We use these as tools to help us write more and communicate more meaningfully with our readers.  So far, we've discussed and practiced:

1. narration--story telling to make a point
2. description--using sensory imagery to help a reader experience something (and make a point)
3. definition--exploring what an idea/term means (in order to fully realize a point)
4. classification--breaking down a large topic into categories as a way to understand the point
5. compare/contrast--discussing the similarities and differences to make a point about two (or more) items, ideas, or people

Your book has some really excellent practice and topics to try out.  Use your table of contents to find each section and re-read the chapters that go along with the modes of development.

Also, another way you can review these modes is to review and revise the writing we've done with each development technique.

Subject/Verb Agreement

We all know that sentences show a complete thought and are made up of a subject and a verb.  What makes composing a sentence even more difficult than just picking the right ideas to formulate a complete thought is the fact that the subject must agree with the verb in number.  In other words...

If the subject is singular, then it must have a singular verb.

• The boy runs everywhere.

If the subject is plural, then it must have a plural verb.

• The boys run everywhere.  

**Notice that in the first sentence, boy is singular, and so is the verb that agrees with it (runs is indeed singular.  Normally, subjects end in "s" when plural.  When dealing with verbs; however, you switch that idea around.  Singular verbs normally end in "s").

When dealing with pronouns, things get a little funkier, but check out the chart below.

Check out how the only time the verb needs to change in order to agree with the subject (when dealing with pronouns) is when you are in "he/she/it" mode.

I read a book each weekend.
You read a lot.
He reads* comic books on the train.
We read to each other.
You all read your homework together?
They read the paper in the morning.

*again, check our he/she/it...it's the only time the verb needs to match the pronoun!

Troublesome verbs...Refer to page 61 in Scarry.  This is a really great page, and you should have it specially marked with a post-it for use on the Exit Essay anyway, so check it out.  Email me with specific questions on these special verbs.


Collective nouns (click here, and make sure to scroll down to find "Collective Nouns."  This is a pretty good sight, yet it is different than the notes we took in class and the practice we did in the book).

From OWL: Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.

The team runs during practice.

The committee decides how to proceed.

The family has a long history.

My family has never been able to agree.

In some cases in American English, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun.

The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member. 

End of Week 5

Wow, can you believe that we just completed week 5?  I know!  If you haven't yet, you might want to check the grades on Bb to see how you are doing so far.  Also, keep in mind that July 26 is the date for the Exit Essay.  You MUST be present in class that day in order to take this essay.  It is like your final exam for the writing portion of our class.

Today, we reviewed A LOT.  Let's take a quick look back at some of the key ideas we've learned so far this summer...

Sentences are made up of three elements

1. Subjects--noun or pronoun that tells what/who the sentence is about
2. Verbs--show the action the subject is doing or links the subject to a description of itself
3. Complete thought

The cow jumped over the moon.  (bonus if you can find the prepositional phrase!)


Verbs do SO MUCH for our sentence though, and we've spent a great deal of time already on learning about them.  We know several things about VERBS:

• There are three kinds of verbs (action, helping, linking)
• There are two types of tenses (simple and perfect) and each has past, present and future 
• Verb tense should be consistent throughout a piece of writing

But today, we learned something even more particular about verbs...they MUST AGREE WITH THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE IN NUMBER (for present tense, mostly).

Normally, we know that singular subject do not end in "s" while the plural versions do.

Singular=cow
Plural=cows

With many verbs, this rule is the exact opposite.  Normally, the singular form of the verb ends in "s" while the plural doesn't

Singular=jumps
Plural=jump

*of course there are some odd-ball verbs and subjects out there, but this is a general idea that can help*

Your book has some great charts to help you study, especially when it comes to using pronouns as subjects.

OWL also has a pretty nice worksheet to walk you through verb agreement (click here)







Finally, practice really does help you become more and more comfortable with the agreement.  Sometimes, what is correct for our writing, isn't how we speak.  In fact, when talking to friends and family, it is often really common to hear someone say "It don't matter" or "we was working."  These expressions are not considered correct in writing though because the subjects do not agree with the verbs.

PS--check out the stuff on outlines too.  We covered that today as well, but the information is already on the blog because we used this instead of my sloppy handwriting on the board today.

Outlines

The Ancient Roman Circus

The first circus began in ancient Rome, but it was much bloodier than the circus we know today.

1. the first circus, Circus Maximus, originated under Julius Caesar
2. Ancient circuses were specialized in bloody events; empoeror and spectators were upset if no one died.
3. Which event featured depended on the emperor in power
• Julius Caesar liked chariot races, slaves raced for freedom and risked their lives, often dying in the process
• dragged around the ring when they couldn't cut themselves free
• During the reign of Augustus, hundreds of gladiators died, taking with them more than 3,500 lions and tigers
• Under Nero, Christians were thrown to the lions
4. Colosseum in Rome staged biggest circuses
• held 50,000
• in one season, 2,000 gladiators went to their deaths

Class, July 7 (back from our long holiday!)

Yes, today did feel like a painful Monday, but we got through it all! 

First, we went over the Madame CJ Walker reading from the long weekend.  We read it as a class and then covered the T/F questions given as homework as well as some multiple choice comprehension questions too.  You can find those both on Blackboard (click "assignements, unit #2). 

Second, we learned about a new graphic organizer...FISHBONE ORGANIZERS 

As you can see, with the fishbone organizer, you use the spine of the fish for the main idea (in a paragraph, it'd be the topic sentenc, for an essay, the thesis).  Then you use the "ribs" as lines for support.  You can branch this off several times over as needed. 

You can alter this organizer and make it take another form (that of a spider) if you are so inclined. 

Ex. 4 from Scarry 224

Directions:  Write out the paragraph with the verbs all in one, consistent tense.  Highlight or underline each verb you correct.

     Charles Dickens was a nineteenth century author whose work is well known today.  One of the reasons Dickens reamined so popular is that so many of his stories are avaliable not only as books but also as movies, plays, and television productions.  We all knew from our childhood the famous story of Uncle Scrooge and Tiny Tim.  Often we saw a television version of A Christmas Carol at holiday time. If you have never read the story of Oliver Twist in book form, you might have seen the musical Oliver! Also, there was a movie version of Great Expectations.  Many students still studied A Tale of Two Cities in high school.  No matter how many adaptations of Dicken's books they see, people seem to agree that there was no substitute for the books themselves.  At first, the vocabulary seemed difficult, but if you concentrate on the story and read a chapter or two every day, you will find yourself not only comprehending these wonderful stories but also loving the richness of Dicken's use of language.